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Kylr Yust seemed eager to turn his life around when a judge sentenced him to federal prison three years ago.

“The defendant is remorseful and contrite and desires only a chance to one day return to society and live as a productive, law-abiding citizen,” his lawyer wrote about his then-25-year-old client in a court document before sentencing. “The defendant acknowledges that his conduct was disgraceful.”

After years of court appearances and punishments for misdemeanors, Yust was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison on a felony drug charge. Guidelines recommended up to 87 months

Yet just 27 months later, Yust was in a halfway house. And two months after that, he was sent to home confinement with his grandfather in south Kansas City. He was freed from federal custody in August.

“We thought, ‘How much stuff can he do where he seems like he just gets away with it?’ ” said Rhonda Beckford, who with her husband, Jim, was in court when Yust was sentenced in the drug case. The mother and stepfather of Kara Kopetsky — the Belton teenager missing since 2007 — have closely monitored Yust, who was Kara’s ex-boyfriend and was questioned in her disappearance.

“Half the stuff he’s done, if me and my husband had done that, we’d be locked up a long time ago,” Beckford said.

Now Yust is a person of interest in the disappearance of 21-year-old Jessica Runions of Raymore. She was last seen Sept. 8 leaving a gathering in south Kansas City with Yust. Authorities found her 2012 black Chevy Equinox nearly two days later, and Yust was charged Thursday with knowingly burning the vehicle, a class D felony.

Court records show that despite numerous convictions in local, state and federal courts, Yust often seemed to catch a break, serving relatively light sentences in cases including drug trafficking and assault. Some cases in municipal court were dismissed.

In a 2010 theft case, Yust pleaded guilty to felony stealing from a tattoo parlor and was sentenced to 10 days in jail, in addition to time already served. Public records don’t indicate how much time that was.

A 2011 assault case, in which he choked a girlfriend unconscious, was prosecuted not in Jackson County Circuit Court but in municipal court. After initially getting two years’ probation, he ultimately spent 120 days in jail.

As his name continually surfaced on dockets for more serious crimes, Yust also appeared to be under the watchful eye of patrol officers. Starting in 2009, after Kopetsky’s disappearance, Kansas City municipal court records show at least eight traffic citations for Yust.

more at link

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“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France

Did Jessica leave the party with Yust? I know he was asked to leave. Maybe she offered to drive him home as she knew him. I wonder why she came to the party with him? Where was her bf that night?

Article is from 9/12th/2016

SNIP:

Runions, from the city of [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], who worked in a retirement home, went to a house party with her boyfriend, who also took Yust. Runions’ boyfriend left the party early.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... By Andy Dufresne/Shawshank Redemption

Runions, from the city of [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], who worked in a retirement home, went to a house party with her boyfriend, who also took Yust. Runions’ boyfriend left the party early.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Thank you! I wonder why Jessica didn't leave with her bf....if only.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France

Mother of Missouri Woman Missing Since 2007 Sees Eerie Similarities in Current Case of Missing Woman

09/16/2016

Rhonda Beckford has been searching for answers ever since her daughter, Kara Kopetsky, went missing on May 4, 2007.

The 17-year-old was last seen leaving her Belton, Missouri, high school during a free period. She was never seen or heard from again.

Four or five people saw Kara in the hallway before she was seen on the school's security cameras leaving campus, Beckford says, but no one knew where she went.

"That's the big question," Beckford tells PEOPLE. "What happened?"

Now, Beckford hopes she is on the path to an answer. Kylr Yust, 28, once a suspect in her daughter's disappearance, has been arrested in connection to another missing Missouri woman.

snipped

Kara and Yust dated for nine months when they were teenagers in 2007, Beckford tells PEOPLE. Days before she went missing, Kara filed a restraining order against Yust, alleging he was violent towards her, a Cass County official tells PEOPLE.

"We tried to tell her that he wasn’t good for her but that just drew them closer together," Beckford tells PEOPLE.

Finally, a week before her disappearance, Beckford says Kara decided she'd had enough.

"[She] started to mature and see him for who he was," Beckford tells PEOPLE. "They say that [that moment of realization] is the most dangerous time because the abuser doesn’t want to let the abused go."

Police questioned Yust about Kara's disappearance but the then 18-year-old told authorities he was out of town visiting a sick relative. (Yust's family declined PEOPLE's request for comment.) He was never charged.

"You have to hold on to some sort of hope that she's out there but as time went on we realized that she wasn't going to come home," Beckford says.

Beckford says Kara's room hasn't been touched since she went missing. Recently, Beckford has thought about cleaning it out.

"It's emotionally hard [to see it every day], especially when you know she's not coming home," Beckford tells PEOPLE. "But [her brother] says even if you clean it out it's still going to be Kara's room."

snipped

Beckford says she and her family make a point of having a family member at every one of Yust's court hearings.

"Kara has not been forgotten and we're not going away," Beckford says. "We're not giving up."

Jessica Runions' family tells PEOPLE they're staying positive by leaning on each other and their faith since her disappearance.

Jessica was a baker at a local retirement home and was hoping to attend culinary school, her family tells PEOPLE.

Rhonda Beckford tells PEOPLE she understands what Jessica's family is going through – especially her mother.

"Her world has changed and she doesn't know how to adjust to it. Nobody does. You shouldn't have to," Beckford says.

snipped

Yust has not been assigned an attorney and is being held on a $50,000 bond. A Jackson County judge entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Yust. Both Kara's and Jessica's family plan on attending his trial.

"[Kara], we're never going to give up," Beckford says she's telling her daughter. "When you're found and brought home we're going to put you to rest like you should be."

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France

EDWARDS, Mo. - 41 Action News gained exclusive access into the trailer in Edwards, Missouri where Kylr Yust, the person of interest in the disappearance of Jessica Runions, was taken into custody.

In a side bedroom, which once was a children’s room, shows signs someone was living inside.

On a side table next to a twin bed sits an ash try with cigarette butts, at the edge of the bed a baseball bat. On the floor next to the bed sits a jug of water, a box of pop tarts, a hammer, and pills.

On Sunday a woman who once lived in the trailer posted on Facebook “Does anyone know what the hell is going on at the trailer I was staying at on Peacon (sic) drive the investigative and swat team are here now.”

The property owner told 41 Action News she hasn’t been there for a month but that a former renter told her someone has been breaking the back lock.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Owner of the property says she's doesn't know Kylr Yust.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... By Andy Dufresne/Shawshank Redemption

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body found Sunday morning in a ditch along Interstate 49 about two miles north of Harrisonville.

Officials said Sunday afternoon the body is that of a woman in her early 20s, but they “do not believe that this victim is related to any other ongoing investigations in the metro area.” That would rule out 21-year-old Jessica Runions of Raymore, who was last seen Sept. 8 in the company of Kylr Yust, who is charged with burning her car.

The sheriff’s office and the Jackson County Medical Examiner will work to determine a positive identification and the cause of death.

A passerby discovered the body about 11:30 a.m. between the southbound lanes of I-49 and Peculiar Drive, according to the sheriff’s office.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France

The grandfather then told investigators her SUV had left by 3 p.m. that day.

Police discovered Runions' SUV near 95th Street and Blue River Road, just 11 minutes away from the grandfather's home, which is about five miles away.

Police searched Runions' SUV for evidence including DNA and weapons. A liquid sample and fire debris were seized by police. The exact type of liquid is unknown at this time.

Investigators seized a blue plaid shirt, an alcohol swab with blood on it and a Q-tip with blood on it from Yust’s grandfather’s home.

KCTV5 spoke with Yust's grandfather on Sept. 14 right after police searched his home.

"Sure, I'm worried about these girls," said Alfred Yust.

Yust added, "I don't know," when asked if his grandson had anything to do with it.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Oh dear the original story was Jessica & Yust were seen leaving the party at 9:30 pm, on the 8th, so whatever happened to Jessica took place as soon as they left the party. So her car wasn't burned until the next day on the 9th.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... By Andy Dufresne/Shawshank Redemption

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On Thursday, Kylr Yust appeared before a judge on charges related to burning the car that belongs to missing 21-year-old Jessica Runions.

It has been three weeks since anyone has seen or heard from Runions. She was last spotted leaving a house party with Yust.

Inside a Jackson County courtroom on Thursday, the father of Jessica Runions had to be held back as Yust walked in. Yust had to be taken away and brought back into the courtroom. Throughout the hearing Yust appeared calm and collected. The courtroom was packed with people supporting the Runions family, including the family of Kara Kopetsky.

SNIP

The Yust family was not in the courtroom, however a friend of Yust made it a point to be there. She only identified herself as Jennifer.

"I think that everybody in court here wants to hurt him or shoot him or be mad at him and I wanted him to see one face that he knew," said Jennifer.

Jennifer told 41 Action News Yust texted her the night Jessica Runions disappeared to hangout with her at his grandfathers house.

"We were texting back and forth about coming over. He was supposedly at his grandfathers house, and wanted to come over and pick him up, and then I told him it was already too late for me," said Jennifer.

Yust is only charged with burning Runions' car, and currently faces no other charges in relations to her disappearance. The Kansas City Police Department says they are still investigating her disappearance as a missing persons case. They would not elaborate on their efforts to find Runions, but her family says they have faith in the police investigation.

"Right now the police have him, the courts have him, he’s being taken care of," said Jessica Runions grandmother Linda Runions.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Yeah, there's a reason everyone wants to hurt him Jennifer, ugh 2 missing young women, who's parents and family are worried to death about!

Last edited by Aubrey; 09-29-2016 at 09:50 PM.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... By Andy Dufresne/Shawshank Redemption

GRANDVIEW, Mo. — Friends and family members of a missing Raymore woman said they’re not giving up hope that she’ll be found soon.

Many gathered at the old Sam’s Club site in Grandview on Sunday morning to continue their search for Jessica Runions, who was last seen leaving a gathering with friends on Sept. 8.

"We just come together today looking for answers, looking for beautiful, precious Jessica," said her mother, Jamie Runions.

Organizers of the search said they planned to look along the sides of roads that any car could get down.

SNIP

"Five weeks. It’s time for her to come home," said Jamie Runions, who spoke about the case on camera for the first time. "Today, we are asking for help because we need all the help that we can get to bring her home."

SNIP

Jamie Runions said that the Kansas City Police Department has especially stepped up its efforts to find her daughter, including officers who have joined the search while off-duty.

"They’re taking time out of their lives just like everybody else is to try and bring Jessica home," Runions said. "It’s time. We need her home."

She said she wanted to thank everyone who has come together to support her family in a difficult time.

“I wake up every morning and try to think that you’re going to start off a normal day, but there are no normal days anymore it seems like,” Michele Runions, Jessica Runions’s aunt, said.

Her family isn’t giving up hope.

“You keep looking in every field, every tree thinking that you can find her somewhere and we will, we will find her,” Linda Runions, Jessica Runions’s grandmother, said.

A member of the Missouri Search and Rescue team told 41 Action News they’ve conducted searches on a weekly basis. It’s something that Jessica Runions’s family, friends and even strangers are also doing on their own.

“We’re looking everywhere, but there’s a lot of country out here and it’s hard to cover with 40-50 people,” Linda Runions said.

snipped

Yust is scheduled to be in court Monday.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France

Yust faced a judge for allegedly burning 20-year-old Jessica Runions’ car. Friends say he's also the last person she was seen with back in September.

His hearing lasted only a few minutes as he appeared via video conference to plead not guilty to burning Runions' vehicle. Yust will appear in court again on Nov. 17.

Runions family packed the courtroom to send a message to Yust and to the public that they want justice. They believe Yust is connected to Runions' disappearance.[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Can social media help solve a mystery? Family of missing Jessica Runions hopes so

November 23, 2016 10:09 AM

Gone.

A farewell to friends. A burned vehicle. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].

Kylr Yust is accused of burning Jessica Runions’ car.

And not a trace since.

Jessica Runions was last seen Sept. 8 leaving a gathering of friends in south Kansas City. Two days later, the 21-year-old’s burned vehicle was found in a nearby wooded area. Kylr Yust, a man who had been questioned for the disappearance of another young woman in 2007, has been charged with burning the vehicle.

Runions’ disappearance has tormented her family members, but they have united in a quest to bring justice to their missing granddaughter, niece, sister, daughter.

Family members pack any court hearing in which Yust appears. They form search parties each week. About 35 banded together on a recent day in court, wearing matching shirts with Jessica Runions’ name printed on it. Many arrived 45 minutes early, and when the proceedings began they fell silent, intent on not missing a word.

They have also turned to a tool unavailable to families searching for missing loved ones until recently. Social media have helped the Runions family seek answers by providing a venue to receive tips from a variety of sources and by serving as a forum to solicit volunteers for search parties. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

According to article, Kylr Yust's November 17th pretrial was rescheduled.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... By Andy Dufresne/Shawshank Redemption

The search continues for Jessica Runions on Sunday. Please join me, family & friends...We have had searches through out the holiday but wanted everyone to enjoy their holidays so we did not want to make them public to allow everyone time with their loved ones...
it is a new year & we need answers. This nightmare needs to end for everyone. All families involved.

Again I would like to thank each & everyone of you for being a part of [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. Remember Whether you are a...ctively searching, researching, passing out flyers, reposting, donating or sending love & prayers you are apart of our team we are grateful to each & everyone of you for helping us find answers. It is all of you who give us strength to continue the fight.

Printed maps line the hallway of John Michael Runions’ Missouri home, showing all the places his daughter’s family and friends have looked for her since she disappeared nearly four months ago.

"If we’re not out on the street, we’re looking online for new areas to search tomorrow. Our entire hallway is an enormous map of the area," Runions told ABC News’ "20/20." "Your loved one doesn’t just disappear, never to be heard from again, by choice. She didn’t choose to not be here at the holidays by choice."

Jessica Runions, 21, went missing Sept. 8 after leaving a gathering at a friend’s house in Kansas City, Missouri. Her family says friends told them Jessica was last seen giving her boyfriend’s longtime friend Kylr Yust, 28, a ride home.

Her boyfriend and family grew concerned when she did not come home that night and they were unable to reach her. Runions said his daughter’s cellphone kept going straight to voicemail when they tried calling her.

Their concerns were heightened when she didn’t show up for a doctor’s appointment the next day. Her mother Jamie S. Runions said Jessica had recently had her appendix removed. She and Jessica were supposed to go together to the follow-up appointment, Jamie said.

Jessica, who was working as a pastry chef in the restaurant at a senior living community, had recently been promoted to a manager position. Her mother said Jessica was hoping to go to college to pursue a journalism degree.

The Runions said their daughter is a hardworking, loving and family-oriented woman who has always been close with her family, especially her two younger sisters, Megan, 14, and a 5-year-old the family didn’t want to be named, and wouldn’t just disappear. Her mother said the daughters would text and send pictures on their family group chat every day.

"Jessica’s not a runaway girl," John Michael Runions said. "Jessica would reach out to her family. She loved her job, she loved her friends, she loved her family ... and there’s nothing from her."

Her mother and boyfriend reported Jessica missing the night of Sept. 9. Hours later, Jessica’s 2012 black Chevy Equinox was found burned in a desolate, wooded area around 2 a.m. Sept. 10, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] said. But she was nowhere to be found.

After police found Jessica’s car, they arrested Yust who was found in a small town two hours outside of Kansas City. Yust is accused of setting Jessica’s car on fire and has been charged with "knowingly burning" a vehicle. He has not been charged in her disappearance.

Yust pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is behind bars on a $50,000 cash bond. He is scheduled to go to trial on the burning charge in the fall of 2017. His attorney did not return ABC News’ repeated requests for comment.

Kansas City police have continued to investigate the Runions case and teamed up with Missouri Search and Rescue to conduct field searches. They have also asked for landowners and hunters to look at their trail and game cameras near the location where Jessica’s car was found.

John Michael Runions said he goes out to look for his daughter every day.

"It’s hard when we have limited information," he said. "We have started over and gone back to square one and then [we have gone] back out again and then started back at square one."

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Seriously want to torture this POS and make him tell where Jessica and Kara are!

Prayers for both families

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... By Andy Dufresne/Shawshank Redemption

Search for Missing Missouri Woman Discovers Two Dead Bodies — Two Weeks in a Row

Posted on January 31, 2017 at 7:19pm EST

Search parties led by the family of a Missouri woman [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] have found two apparently unrelated dead bodies, two weekends in a row.

The discoveries were made by friends and family of Jessica Runions, a 21-year-old who was last seen leaving a party on Sept. 8.
"It’s crazy," Jessica’s father, John Runions, tells PEOPLE of the coincidences.

The search parties have been canvassing different areas of Kansas City, Missouri, since Jessica’s disappearance last year, John says.
"Finding the bodies just gives you a little more encouragement that you can actually find something," Linda Runions, Jessica’s grandmother, tells PEOPLE.

The first body, belonging to 21-year-old Brandon Herring, was found on Jan. 14 by John and a relative, "It gives other families closure," Linda says. "The first young man’s mother is feeling much better [now]."

Herring was reported missing in November and his death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the paper. (Kansas City police could not be reached for comment by PEOPLE.)

The following Saturday after his body was found by the Runion party, Herring’s family laid him to rest. Earlier that day, John’s fiancée and her mom found a second body while they were searching for Jessica, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].

The second body, also belonging to a man, has not been identified by authorities though his death is being investigated as suspicious, [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].

Linda Runions tells PEOPLE her family will not give up on looking for Jessica — no matter how long it takes.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Prayers to the families of Brandon Herring and the other man not yet identified.

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... By Andy Dufresne/Shawshank Redemption

The families of Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions have been called by police after investigators found a second skull in a Cass County field.
Human remains were found by a mushroom hunter south of Belton Monday afternoon.

A second humanskull was located in the same search area, the Sheriff's Office said.

The remains were found near East 233rd and State Route Y.

Authorities said they have closed approximately 6.5 miles of S. State Route Y between YY Hwy and D Hwy (Holmes Rd). The area could be closed until Wednesday

The families of Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions have been called by police after investigators found a second skull in a Cass County field.
Human remains were found by a mushroom hunter south of Belton Monday afternoon.

A second humanskull was located in the same search area, the Sheriff's Office said.

The remains were found near East 233rd and State Route Y.

Authorities said they have closed approximately 6.5 miles of S. State Route Y between YY Hwy and D Hwy (Holmes Rd). The area could be closed until Wednesday

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Thank you juliekan! I wonder if it could be a serial killer? Lots of human remains found.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France